The Talk
by Baka Gaijin30
Summary: Repost. Haruka finds herself having to explain to Hotaru all about the birds and bees.


-The Talk-

Disclaimer: Sorry folks, I don't own any of it.

Author's Notes: Don't worry, I'll be updating Starfall eventually. Meanwhile, here's some fluff for you all.

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"Haruka-papa, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course firefly, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, but… Well… What does 'more than friends, less than lovers' mean?"

"More than… Where did you hear that phrase?"

"Well… Two girls were kind of talking in the girl's locker room at school. I overheard them, but I wasn't sure what they meant."

"Did you ask your Michiru-mama about this?"

"She's out Christmas shopping with Setsuna-mama. Besides, I think I feel more comfortable talking about this with you."

"I wish I could say the same…"

"What?"

"Nothing. Sit down. How old are you?"

"Twelve."

"Right, then I guess it's time, isn't it? Hotaru, how much do you know about sex?"

"Sex? Well, from what I see on the TV and in movies it has a lot to do with kissing."

"Well, it does, but it's more than that. Don't they teach you sex-education in school?"

"They won't start sex-ed until next semester."

"I see... Well, I suppose before the school teaches you we'd better talk. Let's start with the basics; reproduction. Hotaru, there are two basic types of people in this world; men and women. And a man's reproductive organs are incredibly sensitive, so if any jerk tries to take advantage of you, you kick him there just as hard as you can and…"

"Papa!"

"(sigh) Gomen, went into overprotective parent mode there. Anyways, reproduction is all about where babies come from. Now, within the next year or so you're body is going to start going through changes, such as your monthly period, hair growing in places it hasn't before, and facial blemishes. It's all a normal part of growing up though and it's a signal that your body is maturing."

"And babies?"

"I'm getting to that. Anyways, boys go through changes as well. And, when a boy becomes a man and a girl becomes a woman, if they like one another that way they'll lay down together. Then the man inserts Tab A into Slot B…"

"What?"

"Gomen. Look, talking to you about this is harder than I thought it'd be, firefly."

"Maybe I should ask Michiru-mama after all…"

"No, no, I can do this. I just never expected that I of all people would have a problem with this. Anyways, the man's 'Tab A' is a part of his body called the penis. It's called by quite a few other names as well, but for now let's stick with penis. Now, when a man and a woman have sex, he inserts his penis into her vagina, and a liquid called semen shoots out of the penis into the woman."

"Y… You mean like the face sucker thing that laid its eggs inside that guy in _Alien_?"

"What? Who in their right mind let you watch _Alien_?"

"Remember six months ago when I had the sleepover with Usagi and Minako?"

"Hmmm… Remind me to have a talk with those two later. And no, it's not like an alien laying eggs in your chest, because actually you already have hundreds of eggs inside you right now."

"Really?"

"Yes. You see, _all_ women have eggs within them. And when the semen comes out of the penis, there are all these little things called "sperm" swimming around in it. Now, all these sperm start racing, sort of like me on the race track. Except, instead of a checkered flag or finish line, all those sperm are trying to get to one of the eggs inside you to fertilize it. And when one of those little sperm gets into one of your eggs and fertilizes it, a baby is formed."

"Oh… But, what does 'more than friends, less than lovers' mean?"

"Well, that's where things get a bit complicated. Now I just told you where babies come from, and you need a man and a woman to make a baby. But men don't always show interest in women, and women don't always show interest in men. Sometimes, there are men who are only interested in other men, and women who are only interested in other women."

"Like you and Michiru-mama?"

"Right, like me and Michiru-mama. Anyways, many people in the Japanese society we live in disapprove of people like your Michiru-mama and myself, because such a relationship and orientation isn't considered normal. But, there is a gray area, and that's what 'more than friends, less than lovers' is. It's basically a way for girls, as well as boys, to express feelings for each other such as hand holding and hugging without crossing the line into sex necessarily and without having to deal with the stigma of actually declaring themselves gay or lesbian. It's basically assumed that girls who are in such a relationship are just doing so to pass the time until the right guy comes along."

"Oh… But papa, what if a girl is just interested in you for something to tide her over until the right guy comes along, but you're actually interested just in her?"

"Heh, you would have to ask that, wouldn't you? Firefly, before you're Michiru-mama came into my life, I had more than my share of 'more than friends,' and those relationships generally ended up with hurt feelings and broken hearts."

"Haruka-papa, what does a broken heart feel like?"

"You'll learn in time, firefly. It feels a bit like being at the bottom of a five car pileup, except instead of hurting your body and breaking your bones it hurts your soul. But for me those days are in the past. I have your Michiru-mama now, and we both love each other very much. We're lesbians Hotaru, which means we're not attracted to men."

"Oh. Does that mean you _hate_ men then?"

"Of course not. Mamoru and I are friends, aren't we?"

"Yeah… But what about Seiya?"

"Transgender Magical Girls are a special case."

"Oh."

"But to get back to your original question, there's an English phrase that is sort of the same thing as 'more than lovers, less than friends." It's called, 'best friends with benefits,' although even that's somewhat different. It's largely for girls who don't wish to admit they're lesbians, or who are afraid of committing themselves to someone of the same sex, as well as for straight girls who are curious and who trust their close friends. And sometimes those involved actually do become more, but most of the time they don't. Do you understand?"

"I… I think so."

"Good. And Hotaru-chan…"

"Yes?"

"I don't know who those two girls were you overheard. But if, as I suspect, one of them just happens to be a cute little pink haired girl and the other is a lively young girl with straight black hair and a penchant for collecting lamps, you be sure to tell them not to rush into anything at their ages. They're still young, and it wouldn't hurt to wait until they were both a bit older and more mature. And tell them both to be careful not to set themselves up to be hurt, okay?"

"Er, um… Right Papa, I will. Arigato, papa."

"Any time. Now how about giving me a hug before you take off? Oof! Big hug!"

"I have to go now, Chibi Usa invited me to join her, Usagi and Mamoru at the park today. Sayonara, Haruka-papa."

"Sayonara, Hotaru-chan."

-End-

End Notes: Based a bit on an ongoing conversation over at the yuricon forum.


End file.
